Minack Theatre and St Michael's Mount

After another wonderful breakfast (I tell you, we're getting really spoiled in these B&Bs), we got into the car and headed into a wet, windy fog to Porthcurno, home of the fabulous Minack Theatre. Mum and Dad had been to the theatre before and were determined to show me. It has surpassed my every expectation. It was built by Rowena Cade, who lugged sand and granite up from the beach to the cliffside of her property. She began construction when she was around 40, and continued working every winter, in all weathers, until her death just short of her 90th birthday. I think she was part mountain goat. It is a stunning open-air amphitheatre with a thriving theatre season through the warmer months, though there was a company rehearsing a performance of Grease that we could watch which was hilarious in this weather.

We sat in the cafe for a bit and then kept driving, through the tiny town of Mousehole (apparently pronounced 'Mow-zle'). It was terrifying, with it's teeny-tiny Cornwall-sized streets, which are only wide enough for a small car to drive through. If you meet someone coming the opposite way, you need to back up, or wait for them to move. One little old man nearly ran us off the road. We were terrified he would damage the car, but he squeezed through by the breadth of a hair and stressed us out proper. But Mousehole was still beautiful, and provided some nice photo ops.

Then we continued onto St Michael's Mount. It is an island situated off the coast of Cornwall and the town of Marazion. A castle and a tiny village sit on top of it, and the castle is still lived in today, by the St Aubyn family who have owned it since the 17th century. You can visit the castle and gardens but we didn't do that today - maybe next time. The really exciting bit is walking across the Causeway. At low tide, it is possible to walk from the mainland to the island, and depending on your patience depends how wet you get. We dashed across and only got our shoes wet, because we don't exactly have the luxury of a regular washing/dry-cleaning schedule, but there were a few people content to wade through earlier, despite the freezing water.

On the Mount, we took a bunch of photos and visited the gift shop, but were a bit too cold for anything else, so we headed back over the (much drier) Causeway and got back in the car. We drove back to St Austell and I fell asleep while navigating, but we managed. Back home now, fed and watered, ready for bed, but I should really try and do some homework. We'll see.

Through the Cotwolds and onto Cornwall!

After a huge breakfast this morning (as usual, we were up too early and breakfast wasn't served until 8.30, so we packed the car and twiddled our thumbs for a bit) we headed out of Cirencester and down to Tetbury, for a spot of antique/book/market browsing. Today was odd, changing weather again, very much like Melbourne, but we only had a few drizzles of rain that didn't affect us too badly.

We kept driving to Lacock, but along the way Marnie spotted a sign for Castle Combe, where she had been with Grandpa in 1998. We took a quick detour to see it, and it was the best decision we made all day. We drove through the eight-cottage hamlet of Tiddleywink and parked near the river in Castle Combe. Forty minutes later, our purses considerably lighter and loaded up with cakes, scones, scarves and other souvenirs from the village market and shops, we climbed back in the car. Castle Combe is definitely the prettiest village we've seen, and Marnie had fond memories of it. Also, a bunch of movies were filmed there. Apparently the church features prominently in War Horse, but I have not seen that movie because emotions.

Then we continued to Lacock, another place that has been used for plenty of filming because it is pretty much entirely owned by the National Trust. Pride and Prejudice, Robin of Sherwood, Moll Flanders, Emma, Tess of the D'ubervilles plus more have all featured Lacock, and the Abbey was used for the Harry Potter films (though I didn't go into the Abbey today). We had tartlets and tea for lunch, said hi to the bakery cat, and walked up and down the streets wearing out our cameras. I tell you, I'm almost getting blasé with the amount of cute, tiny, preserved villages I've seen. The Cotswolds is a really gorgeous corner of the earth.

Lacock Abbey

We got back in the car and settled in for a long trip to Cornwall. It took about 3 hours to drive from Lacock down to Bolventor, which we were stopping at to see Jamaica Inn. The inn was the inspiration for a fantastic novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier which I read in preparation for this trip. Marnie and Grandpa stayed at the inn years ago, but sadly it was booked out for our visit. The inn has a long history of hauntings, piracy and smuggling, and it was very fitting that the most dense and spooky fog descended on Cornwall as we drove towards the inn. We could barely see the cars in front, but Mum did an excellent job navigating the unfamiliar roads. We had hot chocolates and bought souvenirs, and in a cruel twist of fate, the Smuggler's Museum, which includes the Daphne du Maurier Room, is closed until Easter. However, I took lots of photos of the inside of the pub, which has all manner of artwork and artefacts relating to the inn's history and culture. I'll definitely be back to stay there one day.

Cornwall fog

Outside our B&B

Then we drove through the fog to St Austell, and our home for the next three days, The Arches B&B. We are in a beautiful attic with two rooms plus a bathroom, gorgeous decor and comfy beds. We walked into St Austell to a Wetherspoon's for dinner and are now back in our attic, getting ready for bed. At some point in the next few days I really need to do some homework, but we've got a busy program planned for Cornwall, so we'll see...

Puzzlewood and The Cotswolds

This morning we were off and up early aogain, driving through the countryside to Puzzlewood, a small part of the Forest of Dean that is famous for it's epic scenery and Roman treasure discovered there. Merlin and Doctor Who have filmed episodes at Puzzlewood and it is said to have inspired Tolkien and JK Rowling in their writings. There's a small farm with pigs, ducks, chickens and goats and a maze for kids, but it's the woodland that is the main attraction. We spend about 40 minutes walking through and taking photos, and there were a couple of school groups that ran around as well, though there were too many little trails and secret nooks to cross paths very often.

Extremely muddy, we hopped back in the car and drove to the Cotswolds. The weather was mostly overcast today, but we've been here a week and we've been rained on twice, and even then, it was not heavy enough to even use an umbrella, so we're not complaining about the weather yet. It would be really lovely to live here, though I would worry about the lack of bright sunshine. In the Granary where we had lunch in Hay-on-Wye, they had certain tables equipped with UV lamps specifically to combat S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder), so it may be quite common up here. We drove to Broadway, where we took some photos and stopped for yummy spicy tomato and lentil soup with sandwiches and hot spiced apple juice. Such a great lunch! Then we drove onto Chipping Campden and went off for separate walks, except I found a second hand bookshop and then sat and drank a chai latte while reading an Agatha Christie novel, so that filled up my hour nicely.

Chipping Campden

Broadway

Then we drove through Stow-on-the-Wold, then onto Bourton-on-the-water. This was probably the prettiest of the insanely pretty towns we visited, and I went gift-shopping and took a million photos of the baby ducklings sitting on the riverbank. Then time for teacake and a spot more shopping, before driving onto Bibury. Bibury has a trout farm, the most picturesque and appealing trout farm I've ever seen, and a row of very old weaver's cottages called Arlington Row. And we totally saw the cutest little  water vole on the riverbank. (On this trip we've seen wild rabbits, squirrels, grouse, pheasants, enormous bumblebees. Also various roadkill, such as deer and badger - not as nice).

Bourton-on-the-water

Bourton-on-the-water

Bibury

Bibury

Bibury - Arlington Row

Bibury - my mate the water vole

Then we got back in the car and drove to Cirencester, where we are staying for one night. We're at Riverside House, which is actually a conference and function centre but is extremely good value for money and very comfy. We are way too tired again tonight, but I've managed to keep up with my blog. Yay me! Tomorrow, to Cornwall!

The town of books

I have had the best day. Racing around trying to fit in as many bookstores as possible was not the least bit stressful and I ended up seeing 16 bookshops, counting the one I visited yesterday afternoon. And that’s not even all the bookshops in Hay-on-Wye!! The weather wasn’t sunny, but it held off the rain until the last bookshop of my day and even then, it was very light. We had massive hot chocolates, copious amounts of tea, and stopped for lunch at The Granary café, where I had an amazing BLT. Aside from the bookshops, I popped my head into a few gift-y type places, but really, I was here for the books, and it was the bookshops that I enjoyed best. I went well over budget, and will very probably have to mail my books home because of limited luggage space, but I regret nothing. I have bought a couple of Peter Pans for my collection, and a few other bits and pieces, including some presents for people (yes, you’re getting a book, Sean, suffer in your jocks), and also went to The Fudge Shop and bought Baileys fudge because yum. I have had so many conversations with locals today, all really lovely booksellers and book buyers. One little old man sat down next to me and introduced me to his Jack Russell who has been to the same bookshop 6 days a week for most of her life. Her name was Lucy and he let me pat her and take pictures of her while we chatted. I even went into The King of Hay bookshop, which is named after Richard Booth who initiated the whole ‘booktown’ concept and proclaimed himself king of the kingdom of Hay. He wrote a great autobiography, which I’ll have to buy when I have the funds.

We got home and unpacked our purchases. We’ve had dinner and are about to attempt to repack everything including stuffing in our new books because we leave Hay-on-Wye early tomorrow and travel to the Cotswolds. Wish me luck!

Ludlow and Tenbury Wells and HAY-ON-WYE

This morning we woke up relatively early, so we went for a walk down to the Uffington Church and behind, over paddocks and through turnstiles and down little country lanes along the river. I Skyped Sean before we left, and then we headed down to Ludlow, a medieval market village which has more listed buildings per head of population than any other town in England. Ludlow is particularly famous for it’s medieval castle, which housed famous residents like Catherine of Aragon and her first husband, Prince Arthur. It is also where Arthur died, and an old man at St Laurence’s church today told me he thought Henry VII had sent Arthur to Ludlow to finish him off. He knew it was cold and wet and Arthur had a sickly constitution, so it’s an interesting theory. Ludlow Castle also played host to Mary Tudor (Catherine’s daughter) and Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, the famed Princes in the Tower. It is a ruin similar to Conwy, but is a little more intact. It has only just been reopened after the winter, and a pigeon had made it’s nest right next to one of the staircases and gave us major stinkeye when we walked past it’s eggs. Hopefully they can arrange to have the nest moved, because it’s going to get accidentally stepped on otherwise. We also headed into the Tudor apartment bit and looked up to find ourselves surrounded by birds glaring at us. 

Afterwards we walked through the Ludlow market and I had a quick squiz in St Laurence's Church, which has a stained glass window depicting a number of figures associated with Ludlow including Edward V, Edward VI and Prince Arthur. Then we stopped for lunch in a lovely little sandwich shop with a little Tudor sitting room upstairs.

St Laurence's

St Laurence's

Tudor sandwiches!

Then we drove to the nearby town of Tenbury Wells, which has some really unusual Pump Rooms built around a well, which is how the town got it's name. The well was built after a mineral water spring was discovered in a farmer's paddock. It brought lots of money to the town, because people would pay to drink and bathe in the water which was supposed to be good for ailments. It sounded like pretty horrid stuff - it contained sulphur and was twice as salty as seawater - but people paid a lot of money for the privilege of using it. The most lovely woman was just locking the place up when we arrived, but she was delighted to see us and took us on a tour of the place giving us a lot of history and explanation. She made us sign the guestbook when she found out we were from Australia and insisted on us taking lots of photos. The Pump Rooms look a bit Seuss-ish. The style is often described as Chinese-Gothic. Tenbury Wells is also famous for growing hops and cider apples. Queen Victoria visited and referred to the town as 'my little town in the orchard'. I tried to find a local cider to sample, but had no luck so I bought some English cider anyway to toast the place.

The fountain

Pump Rooms

The well

Pump Rooms

Then we jumped back in the car and as we drove, we saw some actual gypsies and their horses and caravans (forgive the political incorrectness. Do I say gypsies, Irish travellers or something else?). Then it was on to Hay-on-Wye! We are in a gorgeous little 2-bedroom cottage for 2 nights, with neck-breakingly steep stairs, so we are being very careful. We've had dinner and done two loads of washing, and been for a walk through the town. For anyone who doesn't know, Hay-on-Wye is referred to as 'the town of books' and is stuffed to the brim with bookstores. Obviously, it has been a longtime dream of mine to come here. I'm going to sit down and plan my day tomorrow to get the most out of it. Cannot. Wait.